The director of The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson, has long planned a sequel – and losing his house in the LA fires earlier this year has focused his mind on completing the film that he feels called to make.
Hoping for a 2026 release date, Gibson has begun production on The Resurrection of the Christ after a 20-year hiatus.
The Oscar-winner told a podcaster that losing his home was a “blessing” in disguise. “They are just things,” he said. “Yeah, I’m going to miss some stuff. There was some valuable stuff, some personal stuff, but I feel like I’m being stripped down and prepared for something else. I feel like the Almighty is preparing me to do something big.”
On The Joe Rogan Experience, Gibson said the sequel will pick up where the original left off, focusing on the resurrection of Jesus, who will be portrayed again by Jim Caviezel despite the two-decade interval – with a little help from CGI de-ageing.
The Passion was the highest-grossing R-rated film in US history, but money isn’t the motivation. Gibson, a staunch though controversial Christian, told Rogan: “[Jesus’] sacrifice was for all mankind… for all our ills and all the things in our fallen nature. It was a redemption… I believe that… I do actually believe this stuff to the full.”
Gibson said the Gospels are “verifiable history”, as shown by historical accounts outside the Bible that confirm the life of Jesus.
He also pointed out that all Jesus’ first disciples were willing to sacrifice their lives to spread the truth: “Every single one of those guys died rather than deny their belief… nobody dies for a lie.”
( Article courtesy of 'The Good News Paper )